An Australian Value Set for the EQ-5D-Y-3L

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Psychometrics
• Paediatric Health Assessment

Background:

• Australia's established health technology assessment (HTA) process relies on generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instruments.
• Existing tools and evidence for evaluating paediatric health in Australia have notable gaps.
• This paper addresses the need for a specific Australian value set for the EQ-5D-Y-3L (Y-3L) instrument.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generate an Australian value set for the EQ-5D-Y-3L (Y-3L) instrument.
• To support the economic evaluation of paediatric health interventions in Australia.
• To enhance evidence-based decision-making in paediatric healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the international Y-3L valuation protocol with an expanded design.
• Collected Composite Time Trade Off (cTTO) and Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) data from two independent Australian adult samples.
• Modeled DCE data using a garbage class mixed logit model and explored two anchoring approaches for the Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) scale.

Main Results:

• A total of 268 individuals participated in cTTO interviews and 1002 in the DCE.
• The final selected value set used linear mapping without an intercept, with health state values ranging from 0.142 to 1.
• The most important domains influencing health state values were pain/discomfort, followed by emotional state, usual activities, self-care, and mobility.

Conclusions:

• Presents the first Australian value set for the EQ-5D-Y-3L (Y-3L).
• This value set facilitates the calculation of Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) for economic evaluations of paediatric interventions.
• Supports improved evidence development and decision-making for paediatric healthcare in Australia.